The city above trembled with the sound of distant explosions.
Jalen crouched behind a crumbling wall, the dark alley around him littered with debris from a battle that had raged for the past hour. The air was thick with smoke, and the distant sirens of Nova City's emergency response units were barely audible over the heavy beat of his own pulse. He could feel the energy within him, pulsing, thrumming like a living thing, desperate to be unleashed.
Not yet, Jalen thought, grinding his teeth as his hand trembled. He still couldn't control it completely. But with every second, the heat inside him grew, burning hotter. The Ember Core inside him was responding to the presence of the Fold—their soldiers closing in with terrifying efficiency.
Reyka was at his side, her eyes sharp, scanning the surroundings. She had led him and a small group of survivors into the heart of the abandoned sector, hoping to stay off the Fold's radar. But that was no longer an option. The Fold's elite had tracked them down, and now it was time to fight.
"Get ready," Reyka muttered, her voice low but steady. "They're here."
Jalen clenched his fists, feeling the power surge beneath his skin. The golden energy began to crackle around him, shimmering in the shadows. He could hear the footsteps—heavy, mechanical, and precise—echoing from the narrow alleyway ahead. The Fold's soldiers, each of them wearing advanced tactical armor and carrying weapons that hummed with lethal intent, moved in formation, scanning every corner, every shadow.
Jalen glanced at Reyka. "You sure you can handle this?" he asked, his voice rough.
She smirked, but there was no humor in it. "We don't have a choice."
Without warning, the first of the soldiers appeared at the corner, and Reyka fired. The blast sent the soldier flying backward, his armor crumpling under the impact. But the others didn't hesitate. They returned fire, their weapons emitting high-pitched blasts of blue energy that struck the walls and ground around them.
Jalen's body instinctively reacted before his mind could process. A wave of golden light exploded from his hands, sending the soldiers scattering in all directions. The force of the blast left a glowing trail in the air, and for a brief moment, Jalen felt invincible. But then the reality of what he had done hit him—he had killed them.
"They're not just machines," Reyka shouted, her voice cutting through his fog of confusion. "They're soldiers, human soldiers!"
Jalen's heart pounded in his chest. He knew what Reyka meant. These weren't just faceless enemies—they were people, genetically enhanced but still human. And yet, the weight of his own powers made it almost impossible to see them as anything but obstacles.
A dark figure stepped from the shadows, tall and imposing. A Servant of the Eclipse.
"You are the one they call the Ember, the spark of the storm," the Servant said, their voice low and resonant. The figure's armor seemed to absorb the light around them, creating an almost inhuman silhouette. "We have come to claim what is ours."
Jalen's instincts screamed at him to strike, to unleash the power within him. His body trembled with the urge to give in, to let the golden energy burn everything in its path. But Reyka's voice held him back.
"Focus," she said sharply. "The Servants are dangerous, Kane. They live for this. Don't make the mistake of thinking you're invincible."
The Servant took a step forward, their eyes glowing with an unnatural red light. "You will fall like all the others before you. The Eclipse cannot be stopped. You are already too far gone."
Jalen's mind raced. The Eclipse was closing in. He could feel it—the cosmic event pulling the strings behind everything that was happening. The Ember Core inside him had awoken something, and now the Servants were here to claim it. To use him as a weapon.
He could already hear the distant hum of more soldiers approaching, but the Servant before him wasn't moving. It was watching, waiting.
Reyka readied her blade, stepping closer to Jalen. "Whatever happens, stay with me," she said, her voice firm but not without the hint of concern. "You need to learn to control it—now."
Jalen's hands glowed brighter, a golden fire beginning to build in his chest. He could feel the Servant's presence—cold, calculated, like a predator. Every part of him screamed to fight back with everything he had. But he remembered Reyka's words. Control.
He raised his hand, focusing on the energy, pulling it inward rather than releasing it outward. The air around him crackled with the tension of holding back a force of nature. Sweat beaded on his forehead, and his muscles burned as he struggled to contain the power. He could feel the weight of the Core within him, and every instinct told him to let it go. But instead, he held it in check, forcing the energy to stay contained.
The Servant's eyes narrowed, clearly recognizing the shift in Jalen. "You are learning, but it is too late," they said, their voice laced with dark amusement. "You cannot control what is coming."
Jalen's heart pounded. He could sense the threat now—the Eclipse wasn't just some event. It was alive—a cosmic force that had chosen him. And now, the Servants were going to make sure he didn't survive long enough to fully realize his destiny.
"Then I guess we'll find out who's right," Jalen said, his voice gritted with determination.
Without warning, he thrust his hand forward, unleashing a torrent of golden energy that slammed into the Servant with explosive force. The impact sent the figure reeling back, the walls around them cracking under the pressure.
But the Servant recovered almost instantly, their dark aura swirling around them like a storm. They raised their hand, and a dark energy pulse shot toward Jalen. He barely had time to react, raising his arms to deflect the blast. The shockwave sent him crashing into the wall, his body slamming against the cold stone.
Jalen gasped for breath, the pain throbbing in his chest, but the golden energy within him flared again, filling his veins with heat. He couldn't stop it. The Core was too much.
Reyka was at his side in an instant, pulling him up. "Kane, you can't do this alone," she said, urgency in her voice. "You have to trust me!"
But Jalen wasn't listening. The power inside him was consuming him, and all he could think of was stopping the Servant. Stopping the Fold. Stopping everything.
With a roar, he thrust his hands outward again, the golden energy surging like a tidal wave. This time, he didn't hold back.
The blast obliterated the Servant's shield, throwing them across the street. Their armor shattered, and their form crumpled, but Jalen could feel it—something had changed. The Servant wasn't down for long. They would come again.
And this time, Jalen wasn't sure he'd survive the fight.